Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
A TICKING time bomb of precarious working conditions and financial fragility is threatening the lifeblood of Zimbabwean journalism, drawing urgent warnings from media regulators.
Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) is deeply concerned with the sustainability of media organisations around the country as well as the difficult working conditions that journalists are being subjected to.
ZMC executive secretary, Mr Godwin Phiri, said this while addressing delegates during the Commission’s five-day strategic planning workshop that ends in Mutare today (Friday).
Mr Phiri said: “We must also pay greater attention to media sustainability. It should concern us when newspapers struggle to survive, when community media organisations lack resources or when journalists face increasingly difficult working conditions. These are not distant problems. They are issues that go to the heart of the media environment we are mandated to promote and develop. I want us to build a Commission that does not simply react to developments in the media industry, but one that anticipates them. We want a Commission that generates knowledge, provides leadership and contributes meaningfully to finding solutions, a Commission that is respected, not simply because it exists in law, but because its work makes a positive difference.”
The strategic workshop in Mutare, which brought together ZMC commissioners, Government representatives, stakeholders, management, and staff, follows President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s appointment of eight new members to the ZMC under Section 248(1)(b) of the Constitution.
Addressing the official opening, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Mr Nick Manganwa – represented by Director of Media Services, Mr George Chisoko – warned that the media landscape has devolved into a jungle plagued by misinformation.
“We must confront the reality of our current media landscape. The media has, in many respects, become a jungle. It is a jungle where misinformation and disinformation run rampant. It is a jungle where ethical standards are often sacrificed for sensationalism, where personal vendettas are dressed up as journalism, and where the public interest is routinely neglected in favour of private, factional, or foreign agendas. Government is deeply concerned about this trend.
“The Constitution envisages a free media, but it does not envisage a reckless media. Freedom of expression is not a licence for irresponsibility. The Ministry expects ZMC to rein in this runaway behaviour. You must be firm in enforcing the law and the code of conduct. However, let me be clear: this must be done without stifling the freedom of expression envisaged by our Constitution. The ZMC must strike the right balance. You must protect the legitimate freedom of the press while decisively dealing with those who abuse that freedom to spread falsehoods, incite violence, or undermine national unity. The Ministry will support you in this endeavour, but we expect you to act with courage and conviction,” he said.
ZMC speaks on journalists working conditions
